Scheduled to run on December 24, 2025
As AI systems become more capable, the bar for human training rapidly rises, and generalist data labelers are being sidelined.
That's according to HireArt's 2025 AI Trainer Compensation Report, which compiled information from more than 150 sources, including surveys of current workers, public job postings, and internal data.
This study shows that today's AI models require nuanced reasoning, domain expertise, and multilingual fluency, turning “data labeling” into a specialized cognitive task.
Experts in fields such as law, engineering, and medicine are earning dramatically higher rates than traditional data annotators, reflecting their new strategic importance.
This shift signals the maturation of the industry, where highly skilled trainers, rather than crowdsourced gig workers, increasingly shape the model for intelligence, safety, and reliability.
According to data compiled by HireArt, entry-level generalist AI model trainers can earn between $12.50 and $15.50 in the U.S., while highly skilled and expert AI trainers can earn more than $100 an hour, depending on the topic.
In the medical field, top professionals can earn anywhere from $60 to more than $180 per hour. Hourly wages in engineering and law range from $80 to more than $150, according to data from HireArt.
The table below shows the midpoints of these salary ranges. See how much more highly skilled professionals can earn. That's how it should be!
Graph showing expert AI model data annotator salaries high art
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